Homes, Buildings in Gibbon Area Still Awaiting Repairs After July Storm

Severe storms have ripped and ravaged the state this summer leaving towns mangled in their paths.

Early last month the Gibbon area saw a particularly bad storm that left many picking up the pieces.

The evening of July 9th is one many Gibbon area residents won't soon forget; many say it was the worst storm to pass through the area in years.

A large portion of Buffalo County saw trees mangled from this storm's high winds.

Nearly every home and building in Gibbon was pelted by ping pong ball-sized hail and had siding and roof damage. Many saw windows broken out as well.

Now over a month and a half later, remnants of the storm can still be seen around town.

Officials say that while debris was cleared within days, many who received structure damage still need repairs.

"I don't think everyone is fully recovered. It will take some time for those people in those communities to reach back to where they were before the storm hit," said Buffalo County Emergency Manager Darrin Lewis.

Many structures still need siding, roof and window repairs.

Buffalo County did submit a disaster declaration to the state but the state did not pass it on to FEMA or for federal government assistance for this particular storm.

Lewis says it didn't get passed along because most already had insurance.

"Most individuals and farmers for their crops and buildings had insurance, which is a good thing. But when it comes to a disaster relief, if you're covered by insurance than therefore there is no relief to move it up the chain to the state and federal level," he said.

Many home and business owners are still waiting on insurance claims, as this summer has been particularly backed up because there has been so much damage in the area. Glass for windows is a commodity that's hard to come by right now. Distributors in the area can't keep up with the demand after all the window damage done across the state and country this summer.